Monster
Fairgrounds have lost their appeal after the apocalypse, but your visit to this one turns out scarier than expected. Cast * Sam Yao * Paula Cohen * Janine De Luca * Maxine Myers * Sara Myers-Cohen-Yao * Ellie Maxted * The Ringmaster * Dr Necropolis Plot Going To The Circus It's Paula's first time out after being cured, and she's happy to be useful again. Janine feels responsible for preventing any future kidnappings, so you're off to find some tame zoms, at a circus. Wearing The T-shirt You come up on Rowantree Manor - the home of Dr John Dee - and Ellie explains how this connects to her bees clue. There are strange sounds coming from the house, and the Ringmaster comes out to greet you. Talk Through The Patter The Ringmaster has mistaken you for actors in his themepark recreation of Abel Township. Janine suggests you go along with things. Too late Sam recognises the ringmaster as a zombie cult leader! The Tower Of Terror Sam's both flattered and horrified at this inaccurate homage to Abel. Janine's checked and the ringmaster definitely was a dangerous cult leader. She wants to abort the mission, but Paula wants to stick with it. Zombie Returned To Life The Ringmaster takes you on a tour through the spooky attraction, and has something special to show you. Paula has an accident with a sword but the virus helps her heal quickly. Keep The Crowd Moving You've finally made it to see 'Dr Necropolis', who's using a potion found in Dr Dee's house to cure zombies. After curing a zom the Ringmaster hurries you and Paula away through different doors. Paula's Trapped Inside! Paula's cornered in a labyrinth with the Ringmaster - he's noticed her accelerated healing and wants to use her as a circus act. Separated, you rush to find her again, but get turned around and end up stuck outside! Transcript SAM YAO: Aw, who’s a strong girl, then? Hey? It’s daddy’s big strong girl! MAXINE MYERS: Aw, she’s smiled! She smiled at you! PAULA COHEN: It was a burp. MAXINE MYERS: How do you know? PAULA COHEN: Because my baby is not smiling for the first time when I’m not there! SAM YAO: Oh, no. No, you’re right. She’s too young to smile. It was just a burp. Look, she’s doing it again, though! JANINE DE LUCA: If you’d taken my advice, Doctor Cohen, you’d be here to see this. PAULA COHEN: You can’t keep me in cotton wool, Janine. We’re all useful at Abel, remember? We may be new parents, but Maxie can treat patients, Sam’s an operator, and I can run. And it feels good to be out. I’m better. Sam made me better. SAM YAO: I have superpowered blood. I mean, that’s like, a childhood dream come true. PAULA COHEN: Yes. There’s some irony in knowing that what I needed was an injection from you to cure me. SAM YAO: Oh, no, you’re making it weird, now. JANINE DE LUCA: Would you all please just – I am trying to guide Runners Five and Twenty-three through a mission. I’m trying to keep them safe. SAM YAO: Okay, alright. Just, well, you know Sara likes it when you make those faces at her. Can’t you just - ? JANINE DE LUCA: I’m working, Mister Yao. SAM YAO: Well, this is work, kind of. It’s um… ah! “Employee sleep improvement facilitation.” JANINE DE LUCA: Fine. coos MAXINE MYERS: Okay, time for us to get Sara down for her nap. shack door opens and closes JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Twenty-three, Runner Five, you’re nearly at your destination. We’re attempting to learn how someone has been controlling the semi-sentient zoms. Particularly the one that I allowed to kidnap your baby. PAULA COHEN: Janine. It wasn’t your fault. JANINE DE LUCA: It was my responsibility, and it’s also my responsibility to ensure nothing similar ever happens again. So when I heard rumors of a group in possession of tame zoms, I felt it worth investigating. PAULA COHEN: What sort of group? JANINE DE LUCA: An unusual one. Runner Twenty-three, Runner Five, you are going to the circus. JANINE DE LUCA: When you round the next bend, Rowantree Manor should be in sight. PAULA COHEN: Rowantree Manor… Rowantree Manor, why does that name sound familiar? ELLIE MAXTED: Yeah, you might have heard me constantly going on about it. PAULA COHEN: Ellie! Okay, so, does it have something to do with Vikings? ELLIE MAXTED: Close! Well, actually, out by several centuries, but certainly thematically related. JANINE DE LUCA: Rowantree Manor was once owned by Doctor John Dee. ELLIE MAXTED: He had a reputation as a sorcerer. He was reported to have uncovered the secret of how to kill someone and bring them back to life, something our manuscript confirms. PAULA COHEN: Ah. And his old home is the same place where they say they can control zoms? Mm, I see why you wanted me and Five to come here. ELLIE MAXTED: Yeah, and more to the point, the crest of the Rowantree family is an old-fashioned beehive. Not the hairdo, the hive for bees. So that thing he scribbled on our manuscript about the house of the bees, where he left his secret - PAULA COHEN: You think the secret might still be there? ELLIE MAXTED: It’s worth a shot. I’m going to go and dig up my research notes on Dee while you guys have a poke around, see if I can find anything about a hiding place. Have fun! shack door opens and closes PAULA COHEN: Am I imagining it, or is there blood splashed all over the front of that building? JANINE DE LUCA: I believe it’s red paint, Doctor Cohen. PAULA COHEN: And Five, are those heads impaled on the gateway railings? JANINE DE LUCA: Yes, I believe those are, in fact, severed heads. PAULA COHEN: Also, you can all hear that unearthly wailing, right? JANINE DE LUCA: We can, Doctor Cohen. PAULA COHEN: Oh, you send us on the best missions. And here comes someone dressed like, I’m guessing, chainsaw circus murdered clown vicar? RINGMASTER: There you are! I thought you’d never get here. And you’re wearing a T-shirt, great! PAULA COHEN: But - RINGMASTER: Ain’t no time to chat. This way, hurry! CIRCUS WORKER: Roll up, roll up! Candy apples for the kids, nearly perfectly safe. Only one in ten is poisoned! PAULA COHEN: Circuses have changed since the apocalypse. RINGMASTER: Ah, you’re hear at last. PAULA COHEN: Oh, listen - RINGMASTER: Good, good. Two Abel runners. Even better than one. And you’ve both got the T-shirts. You’d be amazed how many applicants didn’t bother, even though our ad was very specific: “must wear own Runner Five T-shirt. No T-shirt, no crate of baked beans.” And they turn up in onesies. But your outfits are very authentic-looking, I must say. Headsets are a nice touch. JANINE DE LUCA: Runners, go along with this for now. It might get you inside the building. Get the lay of the land and we can return later. shack door opens Mister Yao, I cannot be distracted right now. Accidents happen when I’m distracted! SAM YAO: Sorry, sorry. Trying to get Sara to sleep. If you could just make the face one more time. Uh, who’s that with Five and Paula? JANINE DE LUCA: Circus ringmaster, I would assume, from his top hat and whip. SAM YAO: No, he’s – oh, no, but I know I’ve seen that man before. CIRCUS WORKER: This way, ladies and gents. This way to see the amazing fish-faced man, and his wife, the woman with the body of a giraffe. RINGMASTER: Right. Ready to run you through the Tower of Terror. Now, to reenact the ice cream cone tower, sometimes you’ll need to be playing Runner Five, sometimes, a zombie. If you’re a zombie, you have to chase them. Don’t get too close, but don’t let up. Keep them moving so they don’t see that the blood’s ketchup and the severed heads are mostly papier mache. laughs It’s amazing what people are willing to believe. Honestly, the rubbish I used to shove down people’s throats! CIRCUS WORKER: Roll up, roll up! Come one, come all, for the awesome apocalyptic adventures of Abel Township! SAM YAO: They’ve turned our lives into a theme park! No, wait, they’ve turned our lives into a theme park! That’s amazing! RINGMASTER: Here’s the entrance to the streets of blood. You’ll need to keep them running towards the tower. PAULA COHEN: Right. SAM YAO: Wait. I’ve got it. Isn’t that the guy who led the crazy zombie cult? The one that was feeding people to zombies? I’m sure it is. RINGMASTER: Speed up! The punters will be arriving soon, and I need to show you the route and take you through the patter. Come on, run! RINGMASTER: So here, you say, “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, to the bloody streets of Abel Township!” PAULA COHEN: Wow. This place is - SAM YAO: Super tacky? Filled with more fake blood than an early Peter Jackson movie? In possession of the entire world’s supply of rubber spiders? Do they think we collect spiders at Abel? Like that’s our hobby? Also, Janine would never let us paint the dining hall puce. If they’re going to hero worship us, they should at least get it right. RINGMASTER: It’s impressive, isn’t it? PAULA COHEN: It’s certainly… overwhelming. Those aren’t actual zombies we can hear, are they? RINGMASTER: Oh, it wouldn’t do to give away any trade secrets. This way. And mind the werewolf skeletons. JANINE DE LUCA: I found some archived footage. Mister Yao is right, the ringmaster was the zombie cult leader. That man is dangerous. We should cut the mission short. SAM YAO: But wasn’t he like, only mental because of Moonchild? Everyone did some pretty shady stuff when she was in control, right? PAULA COHEN: We’re here now. It seems fine. RINGMASTER: You’re in the swing of it, but there’s no need to be ashamed if you’re afraid. Fear is the point, terror, the aim. This place feeds on your fear, bloats on it, and grows bigger and more monstrous with every meal. SAM YAO: Uh, yeah, he might be mental. RINGMASTER: You’ll need to learn that patter off by heart, and I don’t expect you to have it today, but for the weekend, or no beans for you! Now, follow me, and enter the Tower of Terror! house sound effects: bird caw, sinister laughter, ominous music PAULA COHEN: It’s uh, it’s really an amazing spectacle you have here! The aquarium full of zombies is particularly inspired. I like the way they’re scratching against the glass. But if you don’t mind my asking, who on earth would want to see this? RINGMASTER: Want? I’ll have you know they don’t just want to see it, they pay good candles for the privilege. PAULA COHEN: But why? RINGMASTER: Why did people go to see zombie movies? SAM YAO: Good point. PAULA COHEN: Yes, but that was when they were dramas, not documentaries. RINGMASTER: Even more reason to see them now, in a safe way, a contained way. Face your fear and survive it. See a zombie up close and personal, and live to tell the tale! The rush of adrenaline! It’s priceless. Just through here, and mind the uh – slices flesh, PAULA COHEN shouts Whirling blades of death. Are you alright? You seem to be bleeding. JANINE DE LUCA: Doctor Cohen, are you hurt? PAULA COHEN: Oh, I’m fine. See? Not a scratch. SAM YAO: Super fast healing in action. The zombie virus: it’s not just there for the nasty things in life. RINGMASTER: Huh. I could have sworn that sword bit through to the bone. PAULA COHEN: It missed. RINGMASTER: Yes, I see. Come along. It’s time for the grand finale. This is what everyone really pays to see. The pièce de résistance, the sine qua non, the hope in a hopeless place. Follow me, and you’ll see the first miracle of your lives: a zombie returned to human life! RINGMASTER: Are you sure the blade didn’t cut you at all? I could have sworn - PAULA COHEN: No, no! I’m fine. Look. RINGMASTER: In any case, all the punters sign a waiver for damage to property or person, and no one’s complaining when they meet Doctor Necropolis! DOCTOR NECROPOLIS: Roll up, roll up, it’s me! Doctor Necropolis! Don’t be afraid of the dark. That’s where Doctor Necropolis does his best work. PAULA COHEN: Is that a zombie tied to that slab? Ugh, it’s twitching in a really repulsive way. DOCTOR NECROPOLIS: Oh yes, friends, this is a zombie. And this – this bottle right here is the formula developed by Doctor Dee himself. Doctor Dee, the Elizabethan sorcerer. Doctor Dee, whose house this is. Doctor Dee, who knew the secrets of life and death and how to cross the border. We found this magical potion in a hidden compartment in a forgotten priest hole in this ancient manor house. We learned its ancient secrets. From life to death, of course, and then back again! An impossible leap from death to life! Rise, creature, zombie no more! Behold, the necromantic magic of Doctor Dee! strike SAM YAO: What’s happening? What’s he doing? PAULA COHEN: That zombie is – it’s not twitching anymore, it’s – rattle Are you sure you should be releasing those chains? DOCTOR NECROPOLIS: This is Doctor Dee’s wonder work. SAM YAO: That doesn’t sound good. JANINE DE LUCA: Prepare yourselves to run. PAULA COHEN: Uh, Doctor Necropolis, that zombie is sitting up and reaching for you. Should you be standing so close? DOCTOR NECROPOLIS: You’re not going to hurt me, are you, Harry? HARRY: No. I won’t hurt you. DOCTOR NECROPOLIS: And why not? HARRY: I’m cured. SAM YAO: Oh my God! They’ve done it. laughs They’ve actually done it! RINGMASTER: Right. Now, don’t let the punters look too closely. Runners, follow me. Quick, this way. PAULA COHEN: But I - RINGMASTER: You, through this door. PAULA COHEN: Just a sec - shuts DOCTOR NECROPOLIS: You! Through that door. Got to keep the crowd moving. Run! JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Five, Doctor Cohen, your trackers are showing you at different locations. Report, please? PAULA COHEN: I’m fine, I’m fine. This place is um, twisty-turny. I’ve lost Five and the ringmaster. I’m, I don’t know, somewhere dark and – I think they’re trying to separate us. I think it’s supposed to be scary. It is, a bit. SAM YAO: Runner Five, I’m picking your headcam signal up again. You’re – bloody hell, you’re everywhere! JANINE DE LUCA: It’s a hall of mirrors, Mister Yao. Runner Five, are you able to orient yourself? You must reunite with Doctor Cohen. PAULA COHEN: It’s fine, I think. Yes, I can see the ringmaster. Hey, over here! RINGMASTER: Ah, Abel Runner Five. Good, I’m glad I’ve got you on your own. SAM YAO: Uh, Paula. Maybe you should uh, you know, not get any closer to him. RINGMASTER: Running? And just where did you think you’ll be running to in my maze? SAM YAO: The labyrinth is a trap. Doctor Dee warned us about this. PAULA COHEN: Listen, all I want to do is go home. RINGMASTER: Oh, I’m afraid I can’t let you do that. No, you were cut by that whirling blade and you healed instantly. That’s the kind of act punters will pay top battery for. You’ll be staying here. PAULA COHEN: No, no, what are you doing - ? cuts off SAM YAO: Five! Five, we’ve got to find Paula! Her tracker’s to your left. Ah, I think I see daylight to the left. Run, Five! JANINE DE LUCA: There’s the door. Hurry, Runner Five, it’s closing. creaks and slams shut AUTOMATED VOICE: That’s it, folks! Hope you enjoyed the ride! SAM YAO: Dammit! That’s the outdoors. They led you outside. Paula’s trapped inside with those lunatics, and Runner Five’s stuck outside. Category:Mission Category:Season Four